despite Michael not appearing in any postseason games or series, i of course still had to write this blog. the format of it follows my more recent Brantley monthly blogs, where he didn't play at all and i provided a recap of the Tribe's performance for extra content.
there are four sections in this blog. the first covers the overall postseason for Michael and the Indians. the second focuses solely on the ALDS, the third is all about the ALCS, and the fourth discusses the World Series as well as some rehab updates! each section contains subsections that include an overview, Michael news and pictures, and/or win celebrations. had Michael been healthy and played in these playoff games with the Indians, i for sure would have created separate blogs for each series. but since i didn't have any numbers to document and breakdown, i decided to combine everything into one postseason blog.
(although, considering how much Michael news i ended up reporting in here over the last month cause the Tribe played in all three possible series, i kind of regret not posting separate blogs now... sorry!) feel free to skim through and just read what you like.
Postseason Overview
it took the Cleveland Indians nine years to get back to the ALDS and ALCS, and 19 years to reach another World Series, but this undermanned 2016 Tribe team unexpectedly made it all the way to Game 7 of the Fall Classic. and even though they ultimately lost, it was a memorable and impressive run for a team that was missing its best hitter and two of its top three starting pitchers. for those reasons, among others, the Indians were regarded as underdogs in every series. thus, what they accomplished this year was nothing short of amazing. so after the tears have stopped falling from our heartache, we can really take some time to appreciate what just occurred over the past month because it was definitely something to be proud of.
the Indians played 15 total playoff games. Michael played none and they went 10-5 without him, yet lost the World Series in dramatic fashion, no less. i'm very disheartened that he couldn't play. i really wanted to see what he could do and for him to add onto his postseason career numbers from 2013. i know he longed to be more a part of it and participate in all the games as well. instead, Michael watched every game from the dugout and was there to give advice to his teammates when necessary. while he will likely receive a partial share of the playoff money that the Indians earned for becoming the American League Champions, he undeniably missed out on a lot by not playing himself (which i will cover more in my upcoming Wrap Up blog). and so i sincerely feel bad for him. alas, it's over now and all i can hope is that the Indians get back to the playoffs next year so that Michael can experience it from somewhere besides the dugout.
the postseason commenced for the Tribe on October 6 when they played host to the Boston Red Sox in their first series--the American League Division Series. they won their two games at home and then got the sweep by winning Game 3 in Boston on October 10.
the American League Championship Series began on October 14 in Cleveland versus the Toronto Blue Jays. the Indians won both games at Progressive Field, keeping their home field advantage intact. once in Toronto, they won the first game on October 17, lost the second, and won the third at Rogers Centre on October 19 to secure their trip to the Fall Classic.
the World Series opened up in Cleveland on October 25 versus the Chicago Cubs. the historic significance behind this particular matchup was a huge storyline, as these were the two teams in Major League Baseball with the longest championship droughts--68 years since the last Indians World Series win, and 108 since the last Cubs win. the Tribe split the first two games, winning Game 1 and losing Game 2 before heading to Wrigley Field in Chicago. they beat the Cubs in both Games 3 and 4 on October 28 and 29, respectively, but sadly lost their final three games. they could not get the World Series clinch in Game 5 on October 30, and then, once they returned to Progressive Field, were defeated in Game 6 on November 1 and shockingly also in Game 7 on November 2. as a result, the Indians are now the team with the longest title drought in baseball, one that will stand at 69 years when next season begins.
there are so many questions and what ifs. what if Michael had been healthy and played in the World Series? is it a fair assessment to conclude that this team simply couldn't do it without him? not necessarily. but what if Danny Salazar had been ready to start a game in the World Series instead of merely being a bullpen option? what if Carlos Carrasco had been healthy? what if Yan Gomes had been healthy and was actually hitting? had even one of those things transpired, would we be planning a parade in downtown Cleveland for this weekend?
some might think it's wrong for me to criticize the moves of the potential 2016 AL Manager of the Year, but i do have a few bones to pick with Mr. Terry Francona. let me first re-introduce him to his ALCS Game 5 hero, Ryan Merritt. remember him? where the hell was he in the World Series? what if Merritt had started Game 5 in place of Trevor Bauer on short rest? (that was my preference, for the record. cause after Bauer couldn't produce in Game 2, i did not want him back out there.) what if Rajai Davis had played more in center field and Tyler Naquin played less? these are questions that i know will be running through Tribe fans' minds for weeks to come until the pain of this loss subsides. Tito is a great manager, but no doubt his loyalty to certain players can be unfavorable at times.
i wrote a blog late last night with more of my thoughts on the Indians' loss to the Cubs. it's raw and emotional, the perfect reflection of myself. make no mistake, i am very proud of this team for what they were able to do this year in spite of all the challenges they faced, but i'm still upset about the outcome of things. so please give this blog a read sometime and feel free to commiserate with me: My Thoughts on the Cleveland Indians' Loss to the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
on the contrary, one thing that made me extremely happy this October and November is that all MLB playoff games were televised with no blackout restrictions. yes! that meant i could watch every game (that i didn't go to and see in person) on either TBS or FOX. still, i continued to access my GameDay audio on the computer in order to listen to the Indians' broadcasts on WTAM 1100 because i needed my Tom Hamilton fix. he's always so animated and truly makes the games more fun, even when the end result isn't so great.
in Postseason 2016, Michael had no numbers of any kind.
2016 Postseason October/November batting average: N/A
OBP: N/A
SLG: N/A
OPS: N/A
now i'm going to split up the postseason series that the Indians played between the American League Division Series, American League Championship Series, and World Series. the ALDS is up first.
American League Division Series Overview
this year, the Indians played in their first American League Division Series since 2007. their opponent? the Boston Red Sox. this series was a best of five with a 2-2-1 format and aired on TBS. luckily, the Tribe had home field advantage because they finished the 2016 season with a better record (94-67) than Boston (93-69). the ALDS lasted just 3 games, Michael played zero, and the Indians won the series, going a perfect 3-0, without him.
i have to say when the 2016 ALDS roster was announced on October 5 and Michael's name wasn't on it, that was like a punch in the gut for me. at that point, the reality finally set in that Michael was really not going to be a part of this. it was a somber moment.
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| photo courtesy of @H_Grove on twitter |
the Indians opened up the series at good ol' Progressive Field on October 6 and 7. despite the home field advantage, they were largely considered to be the underdogs in this series. but the Tribe surprised their critics while pleasing their fans when they won both Games 1 and 2 in front of sold out crowds.
next, the series moved to Boston at Fenway Park, which is arguably one of the toughest places for a road team to play. after a day off on October 8, Game 3 was set for October 9, but mother nature had other plans. persistent rain forced the game to be cancelled and rescheduled for the following day, which was originally supposed to be Game 4 (if necessary) of the series. and while the Indians had off, the Toronto Blue Jays swept the Texas Rangers, ensuring our boys home field advantage versus the Jays in the ALCS if they were to advance.
when play resumed on October 10, the Indians and BoSox were engaged in a real nail-biter, but the Indians prevailed and swept the ALDS in three games. that earned them three days of rest before the next series. well, after the big celebration, that is.
Michael News & Pictures from the ALDS
October 4: Michael may not have been able to participate in the team's workout ahead of their first game in the ALDS versus the Boston Red Sox, but he was there watching. here's a photo of him in the dugout, sans sling:
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| photo courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
since he couldn't work out, he apparently decided some shenanigans were in order. according to Hayden Grove on twitter, this taping of Francisco Lindor's bat was Michael's doing:
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| photo courtesy of @H_Grove on twitter |
Grove later tweeted Michael "got quite the kick" out of watching Lindor undo it, too.
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| photo courtesy of @H_Grove on twitter |
hey, a little mischief never hurt anyone lol glad to see my boy was not only making his presence known, but his ability to do good work with a baseball bat known haha
October 5: Michael obviously was not on the postseason roster, but he continued to hang around the team whenever possible. here's a photo of Michael watching Indians batting practice from behind the cage the day before the first ALDS game versus the BoSox:
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| photo courtesy of John Kuntz via The Plain Dealer |
and here he is talking with Mike Napoli during bp:
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| photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer |
October 6: an early morning article posted by Zack Meisel on cleveland.com uncovered that Michael has spent "plenty of time around his teammates over the last two weeks." he noted that Michael plays cards with Josh Tomlin or Mike Napoli or Bryan Shaw every day and that it meant a lot to the rest of the roster to have those bitten by the injury bug at Comerica Park for the Indians' champagne celebration when they clinched the division on September 26.
my thoughts: it made me really happy to hear that the rest of the team was including him as much as possible. i additionally love that he genuinely cared and wanted to hang around the team, and didn't decide to head back down to Florida in August after his surgery and call it a season.
prior to the start of Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Red Sox, Tom Hamilton, WTAM 1100 radio broadcaster, emceed the player and coaching staff introductions. for Michael's intro, Hammy exclaimed, "he'll be back next year!" and the fans cheered very loudly, as can be heard in the video that Jordan Bastian took and put on twitter. you are so missed, Michael!
during the game, Andre Knott (the Indians in-game reporter for SportsTime Ohio) tweeted a photo from his vantage point of Michael talking with Tyler Naquin:
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| photo courtesy of @DreKnott on twitter |
both Naquin and Lindor have mentioned before that Michael's done this with them during regular season games, though Knott referred to it as Michael "schooling the young hitters when they come to him." lol
my own observation: since Michael's no longer wearing his sling, he must have also gotten "clearance" to watch games from the dugout instead of the more protective bullpen.
i went to this game and after the Indians won, i watched as Michael high fived his teammates on the field with his left hand, even though they were passing him on his right. so he must have been under orders to be careful with his right shoulder.
later, i tried to get autographs in the players parking lot, like i documented a few times in my Brantley's September/October blog. on this night, i saw Michael walking to his truck and this time he didn't have the sling on and he drove himself home. i then deduced that his sling had been put on the shelf permanently by that point and he was functioning normally without it. (though it would have been nice for a writer to have given us an update about that on the actual day it happened!)
October 7: here's a photo of Michael congratulating Roberto Perez after he scored in the bottom of the 4th inning during Game 2 of the ALDS versus the Red Sox:
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| photo courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
October 8: on the Indians' off day, they worked out in the afternoon at Fenway Park. here's a photo of Michael watching from behind the batting cage:
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
i was elated to see him with the team on the road because i wasn't quite sure if he could travel with them since he's not on their 25-man postseason roster.
October 10: here's a photo that shows Michael with the entire Indians roster and coaching staff before Game 3 of the ALDS against the Red Sox/their first game at Fenway:
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| photo courtesy of Thomas Ondrey via The Plain Dealer |
postgame, Michael commented about watching a high stakes game such as this as opposed to playing in it. "it's a lot easier playing, that's for sure," he admitted in Meisel's article on cleveland.com after the Indians won the game and clinched the series. "i'd rather be out there with my boys playing, but at the same time, i guess that's what you live for. that's how you know you're human, those butterflies in your stomach, that feeling that you just want to come through for your teammates and get to celebrate."
Michael's ALDS Win Celebration
for Michael, this was a much different celebration than when the Indians clinched the AL Central Division two weeks prior. he didn't slowly join the team on the field and stand safely away from all the excitement before carefully hugging and high fiving his teammates. no. this time, Michael ran out onto the field after the final out was recorded and jumped up and down on the outside of the circle with them, like he would (regardless of health status) after a walk-off win.
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| photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer |
granted, he did have his right arm in the front pocket of his jacket, but he was still way more into the fête. indians.com has the video here.
moreover, he participated heartily during the Indians' celebration of advancing to the ALCS in the clubhouse. Jordan Bastian tweeted that before the party began, Jason Kipnis yelled, "one shake for Brant!" lol
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| photo courtesy of @MLBastian on twitter |
here are some photos of Michael dousing Trevor Bauer:
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| photos courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
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| photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer |
you can also see Michael in action in the following:
--Zack Meisel's twitter video
--Dennis Manoloff's twitter video via Dave Chudowsky, where Michael dumps champagne on Kipnis during his interview
--these three videos from Ryan Lewis on his youtube channel
--Bauer's GoPro video posted to sqor.com, where Michael is featured at 3:00 and 4:15
i was pleased that his shoulder didn't need as much protecting and he was able to get involved in the fracas with his goggles on and spray champagne with the rest of the boys.
"it was fun," Michael shared with a smile in Bastian's indians.com article. "anytime you get to celebrate with this great group of guys that work so hard throughout this entire year, i'm just so glad to be a part of it."
now let's break down the numbers.
2016 ALDS batting average: N/A
OBP: N/A
SLG: N/A
OPS: N/A
Michael played in 0 (of 3) games in the ALDS.
he missed 3 games while he was still on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering from season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery) and therefore not on the ALDS roster.
now here are my 2016 ALDS game-by-game notes.
ALDS Game 1, October 6: not on ALDS roster, still on DL.
ALDS Game 2, October 7: not on ALDS roster, still on DL.
October 9: game postponed, to be made up October 10 at 6:08 pm.
ALDS Game 3, October 10: not on ALDS roster, still on DL.
next, let's move on to the ALCS.
American League Championship Series Overview
after a long nine years, the Indians finally made it back to an American League Championship Series. in this round, they faced the Toronto Blue Jays, who also swept their ALDS opponent (the Texas Rangers). this series was a best of seven with a 2-3-2 format and aired on TBS. once again, the Tribe had home field advantage because they finished the 2016 season with a better record (94-67) than Toronto (89-73). the ALCS lasted five games, Michael played zero, and the Indians won the series, 4-1, without him.
the 2016 ALCS roster, released shortly after 10 am on October 14, differed from the ALDS roster in that the Indians added left-handed pitcher Ryan Merritt and removed catcher Chris Gimenez.
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| photo courtesy of @TJZuppe on twitter |
like in the previous playoff series, the media largely discounted the Indians. many picked the Blue Jays to advance to the World Series, but the Tribe was unfazed by it. the series began with two sellout games at Progressive Field on October 14 and 15. the Indians won both.
they had an off day on October 16 before Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) would take place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. after winning the game on October 17, the Indians suffered their first loss of not only the ALCS, but also the postseason, on October 18. the following day, however, the Tribe got their fourth win to become the 2016 American League Champions, and the Wahoos were set to enjoy a full five days of rest before heading back to the World Series for the first time in 19 years!
soon after the victory came the presentation of the American League trophy, which can be seen in this video from indians.com. here's a photo of the trophy being presented to Larry and Paul Dolan (Indians owner) from Frank Robinson as Terry Francona (manager), Chris Antonetti (President of Baseball Operations), and Mike Chernoff (general manager) watch:
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
and here's a closeup of the trophy:
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| photo courtesy of @ZackMeisel on twitter |
and the 2016 ALCS MVP trophy went to Andrew Miller. you can watch that presentation in this indians.com video.
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| photo courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
Michael News & Pictures from the ALCS
October 14: per Andre Knott (the in-game reporter for SportsTime Ohio), after Tyler Naquin struck out on ball four in the bottom of the 3rd inning during Game 1 of the ALCS versus the Toronto Blue Jays, he went directly to Michael to discuss his at bat.
also, in Francisco Lindor's postgame interview, he recounted his go-ahead, 2-run home run in the bottom of the 6th inning that broke the scoreless tie and credited Michael for his advice. "i was just trying to stay down through the middle," he said according to a transcription on indians.com. "Brantley always tells me, down through the middle."
October 15: is Michael's new role... bat boy? here's a photo of him ahead of Game 2 of the ALCS versus the Blue Jays:
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| photo courtesy of TribeVibe |
i went to this game and after the Indians won, i again saw Michael on the field, high fiving his teammates with his left hand while they passed him on his right.
October 19: during the fifth game of the ALCS versus the Blue Jays in Toronto, Michael was seen sitting in the dugout holding a baseball bat and wearing batting gloves throughout the contest. i'm not sure if that was due to nerves, anticipation, and excitement, or if he was simply itching to take part in what had been happening on the field all October.
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| photo courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
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| screenshot cropped from Coco Crisp's HR video on indians.com |
(the above screenshot is about 10 seconds into this indians.com video of Coco Crisp's home run in the top of the 4th inning.)
Michael's ALCS Win Celebration
once again, Michael did not have to sit back and watch this celebration go by. in fact, he was one of the first players out of the dugout after Carlos Santana recorded the final out that clinched the Indians' ALCS win:
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| photo courtesy of Charlie Riedel via the Associated Press |
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| photo courtesy of Thomas Ondrey via The Plain Dealer |
he didn't seem too far outside the dogpile this time either:
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| photo courtesy of Thomas Ondrey via The Plain Dealer |
a short time later, he put on a Raise the 2016 American League Championship Flag t-shirt and a World Series 2016 hat, which can be seen in Trevor Bauer's GoPro video on sqor.com at 1:17. then he continued to hug his teammates on the field.
Bauer congratulated Michael on the field at 1:19 in his video and the following exchange arose:
"Brant, you didn't do anything like i did," prompting Michael to laugh emphatically as they hugged. "but i still like ya sometimes, not all the time."
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| screenshot taken from Bauer's sqor.com video |
Michael responded with "i love you, don't worry. let's fuckin' go."
"four more," Bauer said. "four more."
as Terry Francona hugged Michael (and Rajai Davis), he couldn't resist giving Michael a kiss on the cheek:
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| screenshot cropped from a video on indians.com |
when the celebration moved into the visitors' clubhouse, Michael was popping champagne and getting drenched right alongside everyone else. you can see him at the start of Jordan Bastian's instagram video.
in a video on the FOX Sports Ohio youtube channel, in-game reporter Andre Knott was interviewing Lonnie Chisenhall when all the sudden Michael appeared and poured the last of his champagne bottle down the back of Francisco Lindor's shirt (at 0:40). then he moved over to Chiz (at 0:50) and kinda left the bottle in his shirt for a second lol
Michael himself was interviewed, as can be seen in the Bauer video at 20:19, but i have no idea who that media guy is and did not come across any articles with quotes from Michael, to my dismay.
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| screenshot taken from Bauer's sqor.com video |
Bauer still took the opportunity to send a stream of champagne down Michael's back during his interview though.
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| screenshot taken from Bauer's sqor.com video |
in addition, at one point, possibly prior to the madness, Michael also had a cigar:
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| screenshot cropped from a video on indians.com |
now let's break down the numbers.
2016 ALCS batting average: N/A
OBP: N/A
SLG: N/A
OPS: N/A
Michael played in 0 (of 5) games in the ALCS.
he missed 5 games while he was still on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering from season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery) and therefore not on the ALCS roster.
now here are my 2016 ALCS game-by-game notes.
ALCS Game 1, October 14: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 2, October 15: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 3, October 17: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 4, October 18: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 5, October 19: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
next, let's move on to the World Series!
World Series Overview
for the first time in 19 years and sixth time in franchise history, the Cleveland Indians were the American League representatives in the World Series. the Tribe faced the Chicago Cubs in the 112th Fall Classic and had home field advantage for the first time in club history. despite the Cubs having the better regular season record (103-59), the Indians were able to open the series at Progressive Field due to the American League winning the 2016 All Star Game on July 12 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. this series was another best of seven with a 2-3-2 format, but this time it aired on FOX. the World Series lasted seven games, Michael played zero, and the Indians went 3-4 without him.
the unofficial 2016 World Series roster was unveiled on October 24 during manager Terry Francona's afternoon media session and did not change at the deadline the following day. the difference between this roster and the ALCS one was that pitcher Cody Anderson was replaced with pitcher Danny Salazar:
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| photo courtesy of @H_Grove on twitter |
once again, the Indians were the underdogs in this matchup while the Cubs were the favorites by a very large margin. the Tribe seemed used that to by then and almost preferred to be overlooked. the first two games were played in front of sellout crowds on October 25 and 26 in Cleveland. the Indians won Game 1, but lost Game 2 before heading to Wrigley Field.
after an off day, the series continued on October 28 and the Indians scratched out a gritty, 1-0 win. the Tribe went on to win the second game in Chicago on October 29, but could not muster a third on October 30. and so the series was set to conclude in Cleveland, setting the perfect stage for the boys to win a championship in front of all their fans.
Game 6 occurred on November 1 and the Tribe was pretty much blown out from the beginning. the final decisive Game 7 took place the next night on November 2. the Indians got down, 1-0, immediately and then the Cubs added onto their lead more. but the Indians fought their way back into the game, eventually tying it up at 6 in the 8th inning. unfortunately, after a short rain delay and a 10th inning, the Indians lost, 8-7, making it very reminiscent of the 1997 extra innings Game 7 in which they experienced a gut-wrenching loss. and just like that, right before the 1 am hour on November 3, the season officially ended and the Tribe became the new MLB team with the longest drought in the sport.
up 3-1 in the series and they couldn't win one more game? being so close to victory only made it hurt more. however, being the hard-working guys that they are, no one really seemed too depressed after the game and several were already talking about getting back out to Arizona in February. and with their extra month of play this year, the pitchers and catchers report date will be here a lot sooner than usual. i personally can't wait either.
Michael News, Rehab Updates, & Pictures from the World Series
October 22: prior to the start of the World Series, a fan requested the latest on Michael's recovery in a Hey, Hoynsie article on cleveland.com. Paul Hoynes replied the Indians still feel he'll be 100 percent when spring training opens in February and that the timetable for recovery has not changed.
October 25: before Game 1 of the World Series versus the Chicago Cubs, Terry Francona met with the media. the session was streamed live and subsequently archived on the Cleveland Indians facebook page. Tito began by discussing his roster and talking about some of his injured players. "i feel bad for the guys that are hurt. Gomes, even though he's on our roster, he's not playing because of his hand. Brantley's the heart and soul of our team. i feel bad because what they've been through helped to get us here. last year at the trade deadline we were playing so bad, and that core group did such a good job of turning the year around that i think they kinda planted the seeds for this year."
and speaking of those guys, both Michael and Yan Gomes took a seat and posed with a bat boy, protective helmets and all, before the game (i assume):
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| photo courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
i was lucky enough to get tickets to this game and after the Indians won, Michael was still high fiving his teammates on the field with his left hand as they passed him on his right.
October 26: during Francisco Lindor's media session ahead of World Series Game 2 versus the Cubs, Jordan Bastian implored what role has Michael had in the clubhouse, in the dugout, in the batting cage, in the regular season, and in these playoffs. "i call him sometimes, i'm like, 'you're daddy,' i tell him sometimes," Lindor disclosed. "to me, he really is. he gives me that sense of calmness, where i go up to him like, 'Brantley, what do you think? what would you do against this pitcher?' and he'll tell me what his approach would be and i'm like, 'okay, i'm gonna go do that.' we talk and i listen.
"yesterday, i got thrown out at 2nd and he was he first one to tell me in the dugout, 'keep on running.' then we were talking about how i take my lead and Brantley was like, 'we gotta work in spring training.' so he's thinking already about spring training. and stuff like that, it plays a huge impact on me and i'm sure every one of our teammates. it's huge. and Brantley to me is one of the best."
later, during Francona's turn at the table in the media room, Marla Ridenour mentioned Lindor talking about Brantley's presence and queried if the skipper can still feel Brantley making an impact in the dugout. "Brant's found a way to..." Tito paused. "it's hard when you're hurt, it's almost like there's an invisible wall that goes up cause you don't really quite share in all the frustrations, even though you care, it's just different. i've been through it, it's hard. Brant has found a way to eclipse that and still be a leader, which is not easy to do. i think it speaks volumes about him. that's why i said yesterday that it hurts me a little bit that he's not playing because he should be. he's so much a part of what we do and what we stand for that it hurts that he's not playing."
again, both sessions were streamed live and then archived on the Indians facebook page.
October 28: after the Indians won Game 3 of the World Series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Michael went out onto the field to high five all his teammates:
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| photo courtesy of Dan Mendlik via TribeVibe |
this photo displays what i had been observing at every postseason game i attended--Michael high fiving his teammates with his left hand despite the guys walking past him on his right side.
October 29: prior to the fourth game of the World Series against the Cubs, Michael was interviewed by SportsTime Ohio in-game reporter Andre Knott and STO announcer Matt Underwood. the video was uploaded to the FOX Sports Ohio youtube channel. i transcribed the most pertinent parts.
Underwood first inquired if Michael catches himself at moments wanting to grab a bat, wanting to grab his helmet, and get in the game. "every day," Michael confessed. "there's times i sit in there with batting gloves on and a bat and just kinda hold it and just, i don't know, i just try to be as much a part of this as i can be."
regarding Josh Tomlin's start the night before with his father present, "it was awesome. it was an emotional start for him, that's for sure. we talked a lot before the game and kinda the game plan that he was going over and just, you know, i was trying to keep him relaxed as possible. we were in the gym kinda working out, doing his prep work and i was just making some jokes, trying to keep him loose as i could, but he did phenomenal yesterday. we needed it."
Knott brought up how sometimes guys like Tyler Naquin or Jason Kipnis will come to him after an at bat to talk through their at bat, and then asked Michael what does it mean that his teammates feel that way about him. "they trust in me. that's something i think i earned and i built with them throughout the years and just kinda talk to them when i was playing and what i had on guys and what i saw and what he was trying to do and how we were gonna attack him that day. if they don't feel something right or if they feel something, you know, good, they kinda tell me just so they have someone to lean on just in case something is not going right or something's going well, we can get back to it as quick as possible so we can have success, you know, more often than not."
on the subjects of team camaraderie and the moves that Francona makes, Michael stated, "we believe in everybody in this dugout. we're all a team, we're all one, so whatever guy he sends up to the plate, whatever moves that he makes it's for the best of our team and our ability to win that game. he pulled all the right numbers, the strings last game for us so we got a win out of it."
what is it about this club that makes every guy so ready and being able to come through when their number is called? "we talk about it all the time, just to try not to do too much. don't let a moment get too big for you. make sure that you can kinda pass it on to the next guy. we get timely hitting, we're playing good defense, we're doing the little stuff that we need to do to continue to win games. and we rely on one another and when you do that, it just makes it easier that you have trust in one another, you know, up and down the lineup.
"it's team chemistry. i mean, i think Coco Crisp said it yesterday in his interview, it's just something about the team, the team chemistry that we have that we trust in one another. we bond well together. we're always pulling for one another. there's no, you know, cliques or one-sidedness. we're all, you know, in this together."
when Knott attempted to find out where is he right now physically, Michael smiled and quipped, "standing right next to you on the right side of Wrigley Field at the World Series. i can't be in a better place, right?"
then Knott specified his question to what will his offseason be like (cause he gave up a lot of his offseason last year to be here). what will his offseason be like going forward?" "well my great teammates decided they're gonna play an extra month of baseball for me so it made my offseason shorter, which is awesome cause i'm gonna be in Cleveland no matter what. but uh, you know, i'm doing great. rehab's going well, i get to work out, i get to be a part of this, and, you know, i get to spend this much time with the guys on the field and just being around it. they did more for, you know, for me right now than i'm doing for them, i feel like, just being in this special moment that we're all getting to share."
Underwood followed up with the remark, "there might not be anybody more excited to get to Goodyear next spring than Michael Brantley." "that is true," Michael confirmed. "i cannot wait. i just wanna get to Goodyear, swinging that bat, and just being out there with the guys on the field, just not in the dugout."
Knott next delved into what's been Michael's favorite place to see the game from because, as he listed, "i've seen you out in the bullpen. i've seen you with the bat boys. i've seen you mess up my ties during games. i've seen you yell at me during games. where do you like to be now and have you learned anything?"
"a lot of it's superstition, but i've been all over the place, you're right. when i wasn't allowed in the dugout cause i couldn't protect myself cause i had a sling on, i had to go to the bullpen. (I KNEW IT! I CALLED THAT IN THE ALDS SECTION OF THE BLOG ABOVE AND IN PREVIOUS BLOGS! lol) but i actually learned a lot on how they prepare, what they're thinking about, you know. when the phone rings, how they react and the situation that comes in and how they're pitching guys. i just kinda learned a lot just by sitting there with those guys. and then, you know, i love being in the dugout with my position players and talking about hitting. i love talking about hitting, there's nothing better than being in the dugout and, you know, talking about an approach that works and we're having success doing it. so i, i'm always gonna say the dugout, i gotta stick with my position players though."
here's a photo of Michael during Indians batting practice before the game:
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
and here he is with his Stand Up 2 Cancer placard during the game:
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
i believe Michael's says "grams" because his grandmother passed away from cancer four years ago. (that indians.com article can be found here.)
after the Indians won the game, starter Corey Kluber was interviewed and he spoke about his at bat with the game tied at 1 in the top of the 2nd inning. it was a battle, but Kluber got on base with a single, and then an error by the Cubs led to the go-ahead run scoring for the Tribe. according to Zack Meisel's tweet, Kluber used one of Michael's bats for that AB. and later, Anthony Castrovince tweeted Kluber did so because he "figured it's got a lot of hits left in it."
October 31: on the off day before the sixth game of the World Series, Castrovince posted a detailed article on indians.com about Michael (and Carlos Carrasco) not being able to play in the postseason. this was long overdue and i'm grateful Castrovince addressed this.
"unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards for me," Michael said. "but i'm here with my teammates. i get to support them and be in this great atmosphere. if i'm not physically out there playing with them, i'm in the dugout, and anything i can pick up on that i learn or feel like would help a teammate out, i just try to express it to them.
"i just embrace what i can right now. i've dealt with [the setbacks], and it's in the past."
"he doesn't like to miss one game, let alone 150," Lonnie Chisenhall explained. "we would love to have him. we might have been scary good."
"i bet you Brantley would cut off his shoulder if he thought he could play," Francona proclaimed.
in regards to Michael's rehab, he believes it's going well. "i'm lifting, getting stronger. every day, i've got a program i'm sticking to. everything's coming along great."
and, like last year, he was going to be in Cleveland in October for his rehab anyway even if the Indians hadn't made it to the playoffs. "the boys are making it easier on me by going this long so i can spend extra time with them. i think it's important that we embrace it and learn together. we're still a young team that's hopefully going to stay together for a long time."
Meisel's evening article on cleveland.com acknowledged that Michael's been traveling with the team all postseason and he played cards with Mike Napoli in the clubhouse in the afternoon. per Meisel, many players and coaches have noted how valuable his presence and influence in the dugout and in the clubhouse has been. "anything information-wise i can give or help throughout the course of a game that i've learned or i see, i try to help them out. it's not the ideal situation for me. i'd love to be out there playing. but at the same time, i'll do whatever i can to help this team win."
and that included letting a teammate use his baseball bat. except, when Kluber borrowed his bat in Game 5, he actually broke it. Michael had no qualms though. "i have plenty of bats back there. he got a single out of it. i'm not worried about it at all."
November 1: here's a photo of Michael in the dugout congratulating Kipnis after his solo home run in the bottom of the 5th inning during World Series Game 6 versus the Cubs:
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| photo courtesy of Thomas Ondrey via The Plain Dealer |
notice how Michael is low fiving Kip with his right hand here... maybe he's allowed to low five his teammates but not high five quite yet.
and here's a photo of Michael watching the game with his teammates in the dugout:
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| photo courtesy of Thomas Ondrey via The Plain Dealer |
November 2: here's a photo of Michael during the seventh and final game of the World Series versus the Cubs, clapping outside the dugout after Rajai Davis hit a 2-run home run, which tied the game at 6 in the bottom of the 8th inning:
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| photo courtesy of John Kuntz via The Plain Dealer |
now let's break down the numbers.
2016 World Series batting average: N/A
OBP: N/A
SLG: N/A
OPS: N/A
Michael played in 0 (of 7) games in the World Series.
he missed 7 games while he was still on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering from season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery) and therefore not on the World Series roster.
now here are my 2016 World Series game-by-game notes.
World Series Game 1, October 25: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 2, October 26: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 3, October 28: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 4, October 29: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 5, October 30: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 6, November 1: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 7, November 2: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
now let's break down the overall postseason numbers.
Overall 2016 Postseason October/November batting average: N/A
OBP: N/A
SLG: N/A
OPS: N/A
Michael played in 0 (of 15) games in Postseason October/November.
he missed 15 games while he was still on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering from season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery) and therefore not on any of the Indians' three Postseason October/November rosters.
and here are my Overall 2016 Postseason October/November game-by-game notes.
ALDS Game 1, October 6: not on ALDS roster, still on DL.
ALDS Game 2, October 7: not on ALDS roster, still on DL.
October 9: game postponed, to be made up October 10 at 6:08 pm.
ALDS Game 3, October 10: not on ALDS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 1/Game 4, October 14: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 2/Game 5, October 15: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 3/Game 6, October 17: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 4/Game 7, October 18: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
ALCS Game 5/Game 8, October 19: not on ALCS roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 1/Game 9, October 25: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 2/Game 10, October 26: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 3/Game 11, October 28: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 4/Game 12, October 29: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 5/Game 13, October 30: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 6/Game 14, November 1: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
World Series Game 7/Game 15, November 2: not on World Series roster, still on DL.
up next: i will be posting my last Brantley blog of the year, the Wrapping Up Brantley's 2016 Season blog.
the Indians' season may now be over, but this is baseball, the sport where there's really no offseason. so definitely follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for updates on Michael's progression from biceps tenodesis (surgery) in the fall and winter. you can also get email alerts for blogs that i post in the offseason by signing up to be on my subscription list on the right side of the blog.
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